Paris comes to Sloane Square: Colbert proves an instant hit

Corbin and King have pulled off a brilliant coup with classic brasserie fare at a famous Chelsea site

What you need to know
Colbert is a new dining venture from Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, the duo behind The Wolseley, The Delauney, and the recently opened Brasserie Zedel. It replaces the well-known Oriel restaurant, located at this Sloane Square site for 20 years, but closed after the landlord, Earl Cadogan, reportedly refused to renew the lease following an unsatisfactory meal.

Colbert is a 6,000-square-metre restaurant billed as an all-day 'grand cafe'. It serves meals from breakfast through to late night. Dishes
are mostly traditional French brasserie fare, from simple croque monsieurs, to moules marinière and cassoulet, but you can also get an all-day full English breakfast.

Entrees from £3.95 to £12.75, mains from £9.95 to £27.50. Wines from £6 a glass.

What the critics like
Corbin and King have pulled off a brilliant coup in nailing this location, says John Walsh in The Independent. The setting is like "gazing at a painting by Caillebotte". The starters were first-class assemblages, and a grilled halibut main served with béarnaise sauce and mash "drew raptures".

"Colbert's love affair with French food is clearly an enduring one", says Guy Diamond in Time Out. There’s attention to detail, from the
"fresh and well-textured" steak tartare to a rustic cassoulet "tasting of autumn". And the "service is as smooth as a special agent's hand
unhitching a dress".

"Another classic" from Corbin and King, says Richard Groves on View London. It bustles with energy and a sense of good times. It has charming staff, perfectly cooked omelette and frites and is fabulous looking.

What they don’t like
Colbert’s red leather banquettes, wood paneling and vintage film posters might seem ersatz, says Square Meal, but "any doubts about
pedigree are banished by the food".